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James Kao was born in 1975 and works, teaches, and lives in Chicago, Illinois. After studying philosophy and focusing on the texts of Ludwig Wittgenstein at the University of Chicago, James Kao worked as a Bakery Buyer for a specialty foods retail chain in southern California. He began his artistic career in 1999 when he undertook independent study with teaching artist Vibul Wonprasat. In 2001, James forwent his corporate career and returned to Chicago to take classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he received an MFA from the Painting and Drawing Department.

James Kao artist statement:
“My paintings and drawings record direct and repeated observations, and each reiteration of similar motifs marks an increasing intimacy with the world and moves an observational practice closer to a private meditation. As I find fluidity and familiarity in painting the same table, bowl or orange, I am taken by aspects of the still-life setup that eluded me earlier, so that each successive picture in a series demands additional time to develop and further attention to apprehend. I paint slowly and quietly.”

Sun Times, 'Classic Hits' from the past still a real blast by Margaret Hawkins

Aether, 2005, 22 x 22"	Grant Park, 2004, 32 x 30"	Radial, 2005, 22 x 22"
Repast, 2005, 34 x 36	Still life, shapes I	Still life, shapes III
Summer oranges, 2005, 38 x 36